A TRIBUTE: Joey Glynn was the epitome of a great kid

Wednesday

Jun 5, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 5, 2013 at 5:04 AM

Tom Hinkley

It was hard to find any flaws in anything that Joey Glynn did as an athlete at Cardinal Spellman High School. It wasn’t out of the ordinary to see him catch a quick slant and split a pair of safeties en route to the end zone, or throw down a dunk to bring the crowd to its feet.

He was a two-way player as a tight end and defensive end on Spellman’s football teams that appeared in back-to-back EMass Super Bowls, and was a 1,000-point scorer at center in basketball.

Glynn was Superman.

Which is why it is so difficult for everyone who crossed paths with Glynn to accept what happened on Monday night when the 6-foot 6-inch resident of Abington collapsed and died while playing a pick-up basketball game at the Saltonstall playground, an outdoor court behind the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.

Glynn, who just finished his freshman year at Bentley University, leaves behind a legacy in which his impeccable character will always overshadow this many athletic accomplishments.

“He was as good a kid in terms of criteria that coaches look for in athletes, that parents look for in children – he was just a model in humility,” said Spellman football coach Ron St. George. “He was non-judgmental and was liked by every culture in the school. He just had so much going for him.”

Added Spellman basketball coach Mike Perry: “He was one of those kids where if you had a patent and you could get a cookie-cutter and cut out attitude and effort, and desire and dedication – Joey was there. He was all of those things.”

Glynn, who averaged 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game during his freshman year at Bentley, was a throwback type of athlete who never self-promoted, talked trash or was outwardly brash or emotional.

“As a person Joey was an old soul in a young body,” said St. George. “He had a way of knowing what to say, how to say it and when to say it. Joey was an observer. He never said much unless he had something to say. Whenever he said something it had an impact.”

The tragic news of Glynn’s passing was met with shock and disbelief as no one could comprehend how such a glowing character could be taken away so abruptly.

“When I first got the call and they told me that Joey Glynn had died, my first thought was ‘You mean Joe the father, right?’” said Perry. “They told me ‘No, the son. Joey Jr.’ and I just couldn’t believe it.

“There’s been a lot of tough phone calls, believe me.”

Cardinal Spellman High School has always devoted itself to molding well-rounded students who will make a difference in the community, and Glynn was the embodiment of that objective.

“Nobody didn’t like Joe,” said Perry. “Whether you’re over in the classroom, whatever club you belong to, that’s great. That’s him, that’s his family and that’s Spellman. Everybody gets involved.”

“He was the epitome of what Spellman is all about.”

Something as tragic as the death of a promising teenager will never seem fair, but Perry has faith in the Glynn family – parents Joseph and Susan; and daughters Kelly, 26; Sarah, 24; Stephanie, 22; and Ashley, 13.

“They’re the type of family where they went to all of his games,” Perry said, “with all their kids. They were always doing things. Mr. Glynn and Joey just played golf the other day, they went to all of his Bentley games, they go to their daughter Ashley’s games.

“Sometimes tragedies happen and parents look back and think, ‘Why didn’t I go to the rehearsal?’ or ‘Why didn’t I go to the game?’ or ‘Why didn’t I give him a hug or tell them that I love them?’ Not with this family; there’s no regrets. Everything you can do as a parent, they did.”

The world may have lost an outstanding young man far too soon, but it gained infinitely more in getting to know Joey Glynn for nearly 20 years.